Fredric Effects' Deeply Unpleasant Companion MKII is a super extended take on the Shin-Ei SY-2

Compared to yesterday’s Standard Fuzz Machine Harmonic Octave Fuzz - which was supremely well behaved and really easy to dial in - this one (the clue’s in the name!) is somewhat more unruly and ’nasty’ gated sounding - and really makes you work for your musical tones!

Controls - Gain, Volume, Blend, Tone, Scoop, Blend Bypass Switch, Tone Bypass Switch, EQ : Tone into Scoop / Scoop into Tone.

Tim has designed this pedal so smartly - and the Blend obviously makes it very useful for Bass players - while guitarists will likely Bypass the Blend - with the button immediately below it. You can of course dial in a different mix of blend - so you can flip between the knob setting and the bypassed-Blend tone. I mostly have the Blend bypassed - but occasionally contrast my playing with a slightly different mix.

The same is mostly true of the Tone knob too - where I mostly bypass that one also or else roll it down. You can again have a different tone set on the knob and then bypass for an alternative output.

The Scoop for me is mostly set CCW to some degree, and often fully - for maximum doom, and I much preferr it adjacent button in the UP mode - which is Tone into Scoop!

The obviously gated output can be a little scratchy, starved / choked at times - and also a little spiky. It’s a sort of ’nasty’ fuzz in the best sense - and quite different from most other fuzzes. Those seeking classic fuzz tones should probably look elsewhere!

I of course managed to dial in a number of great tones - but beware that this is an unruly animal that you will somewhat need to wrestle with - in the best tradition of fuzz pedals.

Therefore this is for sure largely an acquired taste - but wonderful for noise-makers like myself and those more experimentally minded.

I really like this one, but as I mentioned - it does make you work a little to get suitably musical sounds! Tim has done a great job of extending the Companion Fuzz format - with lots of neat additional features to help you get the most out of it. The original c1967/8 edition had just 2 knobs - Volume (Level) and Fuzz (Tone). Where Tim has a killer 8 controls in the mix!

The expansive Deeply Unpleasant Companion Fuzz can be yours for just £140 from the Fredric Effects Webstore, and at leading International Dealers!

We solely have a single Bass demo to date - while that does showcase the range of the pedal very well. I will of course add more demos as they materialise!

I did pick up a 3rd fuzz from Tim at the recent Woking Boutique Guitar Show - the Silicon Harmonic Percolator - while I’m waiting for a demo to matierlaise before I can put out my own feature / review!